Bet on German Train Delays • Hacker News Board

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#31

Post by GuB-42 » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 12:14 PM UTC

baxtr wrote: post #15

anielsen wrote: post #2

Countdown to someone pulling the emergency brake because they have a lot of money at stake

+ the conductors driving more slowly

It would be ironic if it turned out to improve the situation.

Driving slower can make things more predictable and reduce wear, making breakdowns less likely. Trains being on time is all about consistency.

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#32

Post by skrebbel » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 12:15 PM UTC

ekjhgkejhgk wrote: post #24

eigenspace wrote: post #11

The proliferation of online gambling is IMO one of the bigger under-reported trends in modern society, and has a real potential for massive externalities throughout society.

Agree on under-reported. But what externalities?

More gambling addicts in gutters.

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#33

Post by valleyer » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 12:15 PM UTC

ekjhgkejhgk wrote: post #24

eigenspace wrote: post #11

The proliferation of online gambling is IMO one of the bigger under-reported trends in modern society, and has a real potential for massive externalities throughout society.

Agree on under-reported. But what externalities?

Addiction. Misappropriation of others' secrets. Perverse incentives.

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#34

Post by arvid-lind » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 12:15 PM UTC

eigenspace wrote: post #11

The proliferation of online gambling is IMO one of the bigger under-reported trends in modern society, and has a real potential for massive externalities throughout society.

it was always going to happen. there was even an episode of The Office where they started betting on meaningless outcomes for a little sense of purpose.

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#35

Post by nannal » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 12:18 PM UTC

valleyer wrote: post #33

ekjhgkejhgk wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree on under-reported. But what externalities?

Addiction. Misappropriation of others' secrets. Perverse incentives.

As a German train driver this excites me greatly.

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#36

Post by kachnuv_ocasek » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 12:19 PM UTC

Perfect for hedging the emotional damage on my daily commute in monetary units.

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#37

Post by thisOtterBeGood » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 12:19 PM UTC

If a responsible person is reading: The confirmation link of the email-verification doesn't work (at least for me)

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#38

Post by raincole » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 12:19 PM UTC

eigenspace wrote: post #11

The proliferation of online gambling is IMO one of the bigger under-reported trends in modern society, and has a real potential for massive externalities throughout society.

It's all sliding slope when the only way an average citizen can reap the economic growth of their own country is stock market and saving only makes them poorer.

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#39

Post by karel-3d » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 12:20 PM UTC

amelius wrote: post #18

Where can I bet when this will be taken down? (Asking since polymarket is forbidden in DE)

It's not real money. Everyone starts with a bag of pretend money.

Re: Bet on German Train Delays

#40

Post by lordnacho » Wed, Mar 04, 2026, 12:23 PM UTC

baxtr wrote: post #7

7ewis wrote: post #3

Site is down, archive link: https://web.archive.org/web/20260303171349/https://bahn.bet/

Is there a site where I can bet on site reliability?

This is a great business plan.

Since downdetector has been bought, we can make a new site, where people can bet on what sites will be down. The whole market can be automated fairly easily to check whether a given website is responding.

This should divert a substantial proportion of the world's DDoS capacity.